Fall From Grace
by runaway-zebra
Summary: Brooklyn had been living with her long time best friend, Rick Grimes, when things start to go awry. It was just another one of Daryl's wild parties when things went wrong. So very wrong. Rick finds himself unable to keep a secret anymore, what will happen in the wake of his decisions? [Rated T for violence, drug use, swearing, and sexual situations.] [RICKxOC] [Alternate Universe.]
1. One

Author's Note: So, this is a new story I'm starting. I had to put the other story on hiatus because I backed myself into a corner with it. I think I bit off more than I could chew starting a story with no idea where to take it. I was sad because I know a lot of people, including me, like the stories where Rick gets some love. But as luck would have it, I planned out a whole new story, and Rick will get what he's due. This story starts off as DarylxOC, but don't let that scare you off because it's only for, maximum, three chapters. After that it's all **RICKxOC **baby!(: Sorry this first chapter is so short, after this one they should be a bit longer. I hope you enjoy.  
xoxo

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**ONE.**

Rick stumbled into the door, pressing one hand firmly against it while the other fished for the key in his jeans pocket. He finally dug it out, and with a grunt turned the key in the door. He came into the apartment, slowly shutting the door behind him. In his drunken haze he was trying his best to be quiet so he wouldn't wake _her _up. He let out a stifled sigh when she came into the room, arms wrapped around herself for warmth.

"Rick...?" She whispered, an angel calling to him from across the room. He swiped a hand across his forehead, wishing he hadn't drank as much as he did.

"Yeah," he tried in vain to whisper as she had, but it came out in a slightly loud mumble. "Sorry." He heard her chuckle quietly. He followed her gaze to the bright green light flashing on the microwave in the open kitchen.

"Late night?" She asked, taking two small steps forward. He forced his heavy-feeling body off the door, his head spinning slightly at the motion. As she took the steps the moonlight hit her and revealed her entirely. Her chestnut hair fell around her shoulder in lazy curls, cascading down to the small white tank top that hugged her body closely. His eyes finished skating down to the small, barely-there boy shorts making his breathe hitch in his throat. Rick felt his drunken self on the brink of a confession, a confession he'd held in since he was old enough to know what love was.

"Brooke?" He continued to slowly make his way towards her, towards the love of his life that had always been just out of reach for his fear of telling her the truth.

"Yes?" She stood still, rubbing her arms up and down to bring even an ounce of warmth to her body that was starting to shake from the cold.

Rick had known Brooklyn since they were in diapers, neighbors until they went their separate ways for college. Brooklyn stayed in their hometown, only moving across it to a new apartment complex to study in the local college. Rick had moved to a whole new state, getting married and divorced all within a two-year span. He found himself back in Kings County, no home, no money, no more wife. He had been living in a hotel room, just getting a new job as the sheriff when he ran into her. Coincidentally he was bringing a stray cat in just to drop it off at the veterinary clinic when he saw her.

She had her long hair, so much longer than he'd remembered, tied back in a ponytail to let everyone see the beautiful face that he had come to love so long ago. She smiled warmly at him before she even recognized who it was. After a long chat at the coffee shop catching up on the new happenings in their lives, and reliving old memories, she had invited him to stay with her. She had a spare bedroom in her apartment and could see no reason why it would be a problem for her old best friend to live there. But there was a problem, he never saw her as a best friend, he always saw her as more than that, and he knew she never did.

"Brooklyn, I need to tell you something." His words were slightly slurred as the alcohol contorted his mind. But he knew he had to do it while he had the liquid courage. It was now or never "I think I lo-" his words were cut short when the bedroom door slammed, loud footsteps echoing through the apartment.

"Brooke... what the hell are you doing?" Daryl came out of the darkness and took turns glaring at her and then Rick. He stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, and Rick felt his stomach twist in disgust.

"I... I need to go..." he ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, finding himself leaning against it and sliding down to the bottom, the image of his hands on her imprinted in his mind. The ungrateful bastard didn't _deserve _her.

"Your friend can't handle his liquor, clearly." Daryl said dryly before pulling on her hand to take her back into their bedroom. She sighed and started to let herself be dragged into the room. She stopped in the doorway, her feet planted firmly on the floor.

"I should probably get him some aspirin." She said quietly, knowing Daryl was not going to like her doing something nice for Rick. She knew Daryl and Rick didn't get along, she didn't know the reason, just that they hated each other. Brooklyn was too oblivious to know that Rick was in love with her and her boyfriend knew it. Rick couldn't stand the way Daryl treated her, like a piece of his property and yesterdays trash; that was why they had such a disdain for each other.

"Yeah," he snorted, "better go take care of your damn puppy." He slammed the bedroom door shut in her face before she could even protest or apologize. She didn't know why she felt compelled to say sorry, she knew she didn't need to, but she hated seeing him angry or upset with her.

"Rick?" She knocked softly on the bathroom door, letting it creak open when he mumbled something inaudible. She bit the inside of her cheek when she saw him sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his head in his hands. "Are you okay?"

"Sure." He moved his hands down to cover his face, wanting nothing more than to just leave, leave everything behind, Brooklyn especially. Seeing her, hearing her voice, everything just strained his heart more than he could bare. She shut the lid to the toilet and sat on it, their knees touching and his heart lurching. She nudged him lightly until he looked up, her bright face smiling with a glass of water and two aspirins in her hand.

"Take these." She prodded him, pushing the medicine into his hands.

"Shouldn't you go back to bed?" He asked quietly, looking at the sadness tinge her eyes at the question. "He's gonna be pissed..." he mumbled as he shoved the pills in his mouth and gently took the glass of water from her. He handed the glass back and she put it on the sink.

"He'll get over it." A frown tugged at her lips but he could tell she was trying to keep the smile on for his sake. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm _fine_," he hissed, standing up and using the wall as support when he felt his legs go numb. He didn't want her pity.

"You don't look fine, let me help," Brooklyn pleaded, positioning herself under him, his arm over her shoulder and their bodies pressed together. He shut his eyes and tried to ignore the feeling at the pit of his stomach, seeing her dressed like that, the heat of her body warming him up instantly. She helped him into his bedroom, letting him sit on the edge of his bed. He shook his head wishing everything was different at that moment.

"Why'd you drink so much?" She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, sitting on the bed beside him and giving an inquisitive look. She had gone out drinking plenty of times with him and he never drank to get more than a 'buzz' feeling. She'd never seen him wasted.

"There was... this girl..." _she reminded me of you, _"and she was trying to convince me to go with her, kissing me and touching." _I couldn't stop thinking of you. _"But I just met her and I didn't feel right doing stuff-"

"Always the gentleman." She shook her head and giggled, their whole life Rick was always the poster child for gentlemanly behavior. It was something that Brooklyn had always longed for in her relationships but always fell flat. She tried to deny it, but she knew Daryl was no different from any of the others. Rick was so good for her, but she refused to believe something as good as him would want someone as horrible as her. If she only knew.

"I couldn't do it," _your face wouldn't go away, _"so I just sat there and kept drinking, wishing things were different."

"What things?"

_Me and you._

"I don't know, everything," he mused.

"Lori?" She asked, biting her lip at the mention of his ex-wife.

"Can you believe she left me for _Shane_?" He asked incredulously, still unable to believe it. He had been with Lori since their sophomore year of high school. He knew it wasn't right, it wasn't what he wanted, but he had never once cheated on her; even though he was incredibly unhappy the whole time. He was still shocked that she had slept with his best friend.

"No... she doesn't realize what she lost." Brooke set her hand on his shoulder gently, her small smile making him feel better.

"Yeah right," he scoffed, looking away from her when the urge to kiss her soft, pink lips was starting to overwhelm him. In a normal setting he could easily control his urges and actions, but with all the alcohol flowing through him, he wasn't sure what he was and wasn't capable of doing. "Thanks for everything Brooke, really. But you should go back to sleep... I'll be fine."

"You sure?" She hesitantly set her feet back on the floor, still not standing.

"Of course." He ran a hand through his hair, refusing to make eye contact with her. If he looked into those shimmering green eyes, he knew he'd never want to stop.

"BROOKE!" They both turned their heads at the sound of Daryl's shout.

"I guess... I guess I should go..." In a moment of weakness, Brooke felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was too emotionally tired of fighting with Daryl and dealing with his constant belittling of her. She sniffled and tried to wipe away the tears when Rick's hand stopped hers.

"I wish you knew," he started, letting his thumb graze her cheek to wipe the fallen tears away, "you are worth so much more than that." The corner of his mouth twitched up into a lopsided smile. He hadn't meant to say the words he was thinking, but she had always given him a case of word vomit.

She nodded slowly at his words, leaning into the palm of his hand as his thumb continued to caress her cheek. He felt the bravery of the Jack Daniels beginning to surge inside of him, his limbs starting to act on their own without his minds consent.

"Brooklyn?" She had her eyes closed and for a moment he thought she was enjoying the moment. Her green gems came into view as her eyelids fluttered open. Her heart was hammering in her chest as he leaned forward, his hand moved to the nape of her neck, stroking in slow circles. Their lips were inches apart and she felt her breathes quicken as her heart beat did.

"BROOKLYN. GET YOUR ASS IN HERE."

She pulled back, his heart shattering into a million pieces with the look of complete heartbreak on her own. She sighed and scooted back, giving him a weak smile.

"I wish things were different too, sometimes." She stood up and walked over to the doorway, standing in between in it for a brief moment. "I wish someone like you loved me." She breathed, before breezing out of the door. He counted her footsteps until he heard the door shut and the yelling ensue. He sat there, his fists clenched, silently wishing murder wasn't illegal. When the apartment went quiet he laid back on his bed, staring at where she had been standing moments ago. His mind wandered back to her words.

_I wish someone like you loved me._

"If you only knew..."

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A/N: So, what did you think? Let me know if I should try to continue this, loves!


	2. Two

**TWO.**

"Ohhhh Brooklyn!" Brooke's receptionist, Kyra, poked her head into her boss's office. "Your hot sheriff boyfriend is here," she sang in her usual sing-song voice when Rick showed up. Which was everyday that Brooke worked. Brooke rolled her eyes at her overenthusiastic friend and stood up from her desk, handing Kyra a folder of papers.

"Fax these over to Savannah's Veterinary Hospital, please." Brooke found herself smoothing her skirt and brushing off her top on her way out to see Rick. She didn't know why she suddenly became so worried about her appearance in front of him. Maybe it was their secret moment from the night before? She shook the thoughts away as he smiled and held up a Starbucks drink for her.

"Awh, my favorite?"

"Double chocolate chip frappuccino, only the best," Rick's bright smile almost knocked her off her feet. Almost.

She felt a slight blush burn her cheeks at the way he examined her outfit since it was a little more revealing than she normally wore.

"Thank you." Brooke took the cup from his hand with a grin. She took a sip, nodding her head in approval. He always brought her favorite drink over on his 'routine' neighborhood drive through. Brooklyn may have not known better, but Kyra knew he only did it to see her away from Daryl's watchful eyes. "You seem to be rocking the hangover well."

"Nothing I can't handle," he shrugged his shoulders lightly, still a little embarrassed for his actions the night before. "Anything good today?" He took a seat in one of the cushioned waiting room chairs. She rose an eyebrow, wondering how long he was going to stay. Not that she cared, she always enjoyed his company especially on slow days such as this one.

"Nope." She shook her head, her hair slowly flowing with it. "A dog with a bad case of worms, cat with ear mites, another dog with fleas... the usual."

"Sounds absolutely boring." He beamed another grin at her and she placed a hand on the table to steady herself. When did her best friend become so swoon-worthy? "You should come with me to get lunch."

"Hmmm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully for a second, holding a finger up and looking through Kyra's date book. "Let me check my schedule."

"You seem pretty slammed," he replied sarcastically, looking around at the empty room before him. "Maybe you should slip away from the madness?" Just as she opened her mouth to agree Kyra came back into the building, the little bell jingling above the door to announce her arrival.

"Your," she coughed for a second, tearing her eyes away from Rick, "_boyfriend_ is here." Kyra rolled her eyes and walked back over to the reception desk, sending Rick a knowing glance. Neither one of them were fond of Daryl. Although Kyra would openly admit she had the hots for Brooke's officer friend, she was constantly trying to push the two together.

Kyra watched with folded arms as Brooke and Daryl argued in front of the building. Rick's face grew stern and she could see his jaw tighten as the fighting ensued. Their quarrel seemed to intensify, Daryl knocking her drink out of her hand onto the ground and shouting something about 'your damn puppy' which Rick knew was not a reference to any of the animals she was working with.

"When are you going to ask her out?" Kyra's question ripped him out of his daydream of beating her boyfriend to a bloody pulp. His eyes widened, stunned for a moment that she knew his feelings for Brooklyn.

"What?"

"Well geez, it's pretty obvious." Kyra twirled a piece of her auburn hair on her finger, her brown eyes intensely locked on his blue ones. "You bring her a coffee, _every day_. I see the way you look at her, and how much you hate Daryl... which I'm not blaming you for."

"She has a boyfriend," he reminded her, a constant reason he refused to tell Brooke about the way he felt. Kyra scoffed, plopping down in her seat quickly.

"He's not a very good one, is he?" She began scribbling something down on a post-it note before looking back up at him. "You're a cop, why don't you like plant drugs on him or something?"

"It doesn't work that way," his eyes drifted back outside where Brooke was trying to walk away but Daryl was pulling her back to him, hugging her and whispering into her ear. _Oh, here it goes. _The apology that Brooke will surely go for and forgive him, like always.

"Why not?"

"Because this isn't a movie." He commented quietly, standing up from his seat when his radio went off. He spoke into it more rapidly than Kyra could comprehend, too many numbers too fast. "I gotta go, see you tomorrow?"

"Brooke's here, so I'd say yes." Kyra smirked mischievously as he nodded to her before walking outside. Daryl had just sped away on his motorcycle when Brooke turned around and slammed right into Rick.

"Sorry," she adjusted her clothes all over again, and dropped her eyes to the floor. He knew she was crying.

"Hey, don't be sorry." He titled her chin up to look at him and the corner of his lips tugged into a sympathetic smile. How he wished he could fix it all. "I gotta go though, you'll be okay?" He asked, tilting his head towards the police cruiser so she knew he wasn't ditching her for no reason.

"Of course," she straightened up and gave him a weak smile. "Lunch tomorrow then?" She asked hopefully, the disappointment reading clearly in her eyes.

"Of course," he parroted, his heart-melting grin still in tact. He walked backwards as he made his way to the cruiser. "By the way, Daryl didn't want me to tell you but... he's having a party tonight."

"Oh god," she groaned and pressed her palm to her forehead knowing exactly how all of his parties ended. At least she had a cop on her side this time for when they showed up. After he was situated in the patrol car, Brooke walked up to it and stood a few feet from the door, her hands planted firmly on her hips. He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Just so you know, every time you come in, I have to listen to Kyra gush about you for the rest of the day."

"Oh, how traumatic," Rick winked at her before speeding off to his call, leaving Brooke to wonder why he sounded so flirty, and why that wink made her light-headed.

* * *

"Thanks for coming along," Brooke smiled at him as she threw a few bags of chips into the shopping cart. He added another bag of pretzels before turning back to her.

"Anything to help." He frowned as she continued to pile things into the cart for Daryl's party. "You're not paying for all this junk, are you?"

"Nope," she grinned at him and shook her head slightly. "You can add anything that you, preferably something expensive." She slid the credit card out of her back pocket and waved it in front of him. He quickly read who the card belonged to: DARYL DIXON.

"Something expensive?" He repeated with a smile matching hers. "You're still mad about the party, aren't you?" Brooke scoffed as an answer, starting to slowly load different types of sodas he requested as mixers for the alcoholic beverages.

"It makes it worse that he just assumed I would do all the shopping for it."

"Brooklyn..." He sighed and threw in some Swiss chocolate, not that he wanted it, but because she had asked him to rack up the bill; and honestly, if it would negatively affect Daryl, he was all for it.

"Yes?" She threw in a handful of frozen pizzas and spun around, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. She noticed he was doing that a lot lately, say her name, be on the verge of telling her something, then change his mind at the last minute. She was hoping he would just tell her this time.

_Please just leave that jerk. I would treat you so much better._

"Don't forget," he nodded with his head further down the aisle, "the solo cups." He took over steering the cart while she shuffled down the aisle, grabbing enough to supply an army with drinks, and tossing them on top of all the other junk.

"Almost did, thanks." She smiled at him and progressed further down to get other supplies. He let out a glum sigh, why couldn't he just tell her? It really wasn't that hard to talk, and that's all he'd be doing, right? Not confessing, just talking.

_Brooklyn, I love you. _No, no, too forward.

_ Brooke, I've been in love with you since- _no, too cliché.

"You coming?" Brooklyn's voice broke him out of his foggy thinking bubble. It popped quickly and he jogged the cart down towards her as she juggled a handful of cookie boxes.

"Sorry," he mumbled, watching her throw endless things in the already full shopping cart. "Do you really think you'll need all of this?"

"No," she smirked. "But there will be a lot of his loser biker friends, and they tend to drink- a lot." She sighed and tried to repress the memory of all the other parties he'd thrown in the past. "They are like a bunch of high teenagers, after they drink all they want to do is stuff their faces."

They continued to roam up and down every aisle at a leisurely pace. Rick watched her carefully, smiling to himself with every little quirk he noticed; things that Daryl probably didn't even know. She was constantly twirling her hair in her finger, a habit she did when she was zoning out. Or how she would bite her bottom lip when she was trying to make a decision. Did her boyfriend even know what color eyes she had? Those mint green gems that he'd stare into forever if given the chance.

"Rick?" Brooklyn peered at him with a smug grin. "Still with us?"

"Yeah, sorry... just got a lot on my mind." He shrugged casually, piling more groceries onto the conveyor belt as the 'ping' continued to repeat in the background.

"Work?" She asked, her lips turning down into a small frown.

"No... no..." he hated to see her upset, especially at his cause, "it's okay. It's nothing bad. I promise."

"Okay," she stopped briefly, hesitating on what she was going to say next, "you know you can tell me if anything is bothering you, right? You're my best friend."

"Of course, thanks Brooklyn." He smiled but it was only to hide how hurt he was just from those four words. It felt like a punch to the gut, and he was constantly reminded of it. _You're my best friend, _echoed through his head as he tried to keep on a happy face for her sake. After all the food and supplies were paid for, bagged, and back in the cart, they started to make their way out to the car.

* * *

As Rick unpacked the food and began setting it out on the counters, Brooklyn came out, dressed for the party. He couldn't help but give her a once over, she looked amazing, and Daryl wasn't even there to see him do it.

"Wow... you look great," he muttered out, unsure if he had said it all in one jumbled word since he had said it so fast, and his throat had gone dry in the process. Brooklyn spun in a circle, beaming a grin at him. She was sporting her new skin-tight black jeans, tucked into black high-heeled boots. As his eyes wandered further he saw she was wearing a very low-cut, sparkly tank top, another one of her shirts that hugged all the right places.

"Thank you," she did a mock curtsy before walking over to him, getting closer than he'd expected her to. She stood up on her tip toes, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for helping with everything, Rick. You're so good to me." She mused, looking up at him with the saddest eyes Rick had ever seen. She bit her bottom lip, instantly Rick's mind reeled; she was trying to make a decision, and since their faces were so close, he had a feeling the decision was about him. Brooklyn had been slowly inching forward until their lips were merely inches apart.

**Knock. Knock. **

Brooklyn smiled at him nervously, a blush creeping onto her cheeks after realizing how close they'd come to kissing, and neither had even started drinking yet. "I'll get it," she whispered, hurrying off to answer the door and further avoid the awkwardness she'd created.

Rick watched her go with a frustrated groan. He started to take the red solo cups out of the packing, glaring at the door as Daryl's voice carried into the apartment. He watched Brooklyn sway back into the apartment, her outfit making every curve ten times more obvious. Rick knew it was going to be hard to keep his eyes off her, and his mind as well. He gulped as he turned away thinking only one thing:

_Daryl better have bought a shit ton of booze._

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A/N: I have to admit writing a Rick story has so many more opportunities to include fluff. My other story, as much as I love writing it, has very little room for fluff because everyone knows Daryl Dixon does not do fluffy. Hehe, thanks for reading loves!(:  
Thank you to everyone who has followed or added this to their favorites. Also, big thanks to Gloria, RebornRose1992, and ReadWriteLove715 for the generous reviews. I'm glad you guys like it! Here's to hoping you like this one too. *cheers*


	3. Three

**THREE.**

**DARYL'S PARTY, 8:30 PM**

Rick stared out at the party with a small scowl on his face. He had just finished downing yet another Yuengling. Since Brooke had left a half hour ago for a veterinarian emergency he had not stopped drinking one beer after the other. He was trying to drink his sorrow away, his sorrow that he could not get out of the goddamn friend-zone with her; yet the piece of trash currently hitting on another girl had her for three years and counting.

Daryl's arms snaked around the girl's waist, his hands starting to ride up her skirt. Rick averted his eyes when a sense of rage flooded over him like it usually did when he looked at Daryl's face. He downed a shot of tequila left over from the group of girls who were surrounding him and begging to join them just a few minutes earlier; he politely declined. But where he dismissed them, Daryl greeted them with open arms... or hands, rather. Rick cringed as he started to walk to his room and saw Brooke's boyfriend and one of the many girls with visible tramp stamps start to kiss, or suck face, for lack of a better term for what he was witnessing. He clenched his fists and made a sharp turn running face to face with another one of the promiscuously dressed girls holding up two shots.

She saw the look on his face and smirked, "wanna shot now?"

He grunted and took it from her hands as she leaned close into his body, he kicked back the shot, the tall redhead following suit. The girl didn't waste much time as she leaned into him, her breath hot on his neck.

"Let's take this somewhere more _private_."

**KINGS COUNTY VET CLINIC, 9:00 PM**

Hershel, the older, more experienced veterinarian smiled at Brooke as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves.

"You started without me?" She pouted, pulling her face mask up. He smiled at her love for animals and raw ambition, he could tell by her outfit that she'd left a party to come help him with the puppy who swallowed nails.

"Sorry," he shrugged, focusing back on the open pup's stomach in front of him. "I told you if you were busy I didn't really need you." He delicately took one of the nails out, painstakingly slow, before dropping it into the surgical stainless steel dish filled with water. He continued talking as he started on another one of the nails, "I honestly didn't need any help. I just figured you'd want some more experience, not that you need it." He stopped briefly and smiled up at her as she leaned over to get a better view of what he was doing.

"That means a lot coming from you Hershel," she returned the smile, knowing it was there even though she couldn't see it behind the medical mask.

"You want to try? This one is nicely set up, even if you mess up a little it shouldn't tear anything." He handed the tools over to her and stepped back a little as she readied herself in front of the unconscious seven month old Boxer.

She took a few deep breaths to ready herself as she handed done any real surgeries yet, she was still in school since it took almost six years to become a _great _veterinarian, four if you just wanted to be _good_. But Brooklyn never settled for good, well, besides her long list of dead beat boyfriends.

"Something on your mind?" Hershel asked as she easily slipped the nail out and added it to the dish with the other soaking one.

"Hm?" She glanced up, handing the tools back and stepping over to watch again. "Oh... no?"

"You seemed a little distracted, you're normally much more focused."

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. He chuckled and shook his head at her before starting to take the second to last nail out.

"Don't be sorry, I wasn't trying to berate you. I was just wondering if you needed someone to talk to? Kyra had babbled on earlier that you've been down a lot lately..." he sighed and plopped the nail in. "That doesn't seem like you, always the ray of sunshine around here." Brooklyn smiled at his words, he was such a kind, wise old man; she was grateful he was her superior.

"You sure you don't mind hearing my stupid life problems?" She nodded down to the poor puppy, "it's not nearly as bad as this little guys." Hershel laughed at this, taking a moment to glance up at her. Brooklyn had worked and trained with him for over a year and was almost like a daughter to him now.

"Go on," he waved the surgical tweezers at her before steadying the last nail to be ejected from the dogs stomach.

"I uh... you've met Daryl?" He nodded slowly, he barely knew her boyfriend but could tell her was a troublemaker. "He doesn't treat me very well, and I guess I've been pretty dense about the whole thing until recently. I want to work things out with him... but there's someone else-"

"Rick?" He asked with a smile before returning to a concentrated stare, the last nail proving to be trickier than he expected.

"Yeah... how'd you know?" Brooke watched every motion carefully now as she noticed he was having a harder time getting the last one out.

"I'm sorry Brooklyn, you're a bright girl, really- but he's been right in front of you this whole time. He's a very good guy, from what I can tell." He let out a sigh of relief as the last nail slid out without tearing anything in the process. He took down his mask and threw the soiled gloves into the bio-hazard bin, starting to wash his hands.

"What should I do?" He spun around at her words, drying his hands with a paper towel and a smile on his face.

"Go back to that party and do whatever is going to make you happy."

**DARYL'S PARTY, 9:30 PM**

Rick had gone outside to get some fresh air, trying to avoid all the girls who became a lot more handsy when they drank. There were people making out in bedrooms, couches, closets, anywhere they could really. Then there was the horrible state of the bathroom after many upset stomach had been emptied. It was like college all over again, and he really wasn't up for all the drama he knew would soon unfold. He sat on the steps to the apartment complex with his head in his hands, it would not stop spinning.

He remembered telling Red Head 'no thank you', rejecting her _very _blunt offer of a blow job, and not the shot either. Rick, although highly intoxicated for the second night in a row, could not fathom how these girls were so easily hooking up with complete strangers. Didn't anyone have dignity anymore? And most of the guys were accepting the come on's from these possibly STD infested girls with no protest; they completely lacked kindness to any of the women. Maybe chivalry was dead. Rick planned to try and keep it alive, denying all the offers very kindly and planning to do that the entire night.

"Hey drunkie," Brooke smiled and offered her hand, pulling him to his feet with a bright smile. His fuzzy mind took over and he sighed at her beauty, he just couldn't help it. "You okay?" She giggled, taking his hand to lead him up the steps.

"N-now that you're ... here?" He paused, his slow-motion mind trying to form the next words right. "Great," was all he could muster up, using every ounce of willpower to not say that he was absolutely ecstatic that she was back.

"Why aren't you inside?" She asked, a small frown tugging at her lips. He shook his head vigorously at this action. If he hated seeing her sad sober he couldn't even begin to describe how he felt about it drunk. He set his hand on her shoulder lightly, should he tell her what he saw Daryl doing? He really didn't want to upset her. No, he would let her drink first then tell her later. Maybe the alcohol would soften the blow.

"I uhmmmm..." he swayed a little, Brooke giggling again and steadying him, "needed some... AIR. Yeah, air." He shook his head slightly, why the hell did it take him so long to think of the word air? _Jesus, I need to stop drinking._

"_Okayyyy_, freak." She smiled up at him when his face fell at her insult. "I was kidding, drunk-o. Let's go back inside?"

After much struggle to get Rick back up to the second floor and down the never ending hallway, they were back inside the raging party. Brooklyn took her time to maneuver Rick through the crowd, back to the kitchen counter to pour herself a drink. Because of his barely-able-to-walk-or-talk-drunkenness she kept a close eye on him, tugging his hand to have him stay over with her which he did happily. He tried to suppress the overwhelming urge to just blurt out how he felt. Every time he drank it became harder to keep the secret.

"Want something?" She peered over at him as she concocted her cranberry and vodka, extra vodka after she'd noticed all the scantily dressed girls and a missing Daryl. She took three large gulps, almost clearing the whole drink. Hershel's words rang through her head and she knew she needed to find Daryl... but maybe a little more liquid courage would help.

"Nope." He smirked over at her, picking up a beer and beginning to drink it.

"Was that even yours?" Brooklyn couldn't help but laugh at Rick's behavior.

"Well! Is- is that yours?" He pointed to her cup and she rolled her eyes, the smile never fading since she'd first seen him on the steps.

"You just watched me pour this Rick." He huffed and drank more of the mystery beer after being proven wrong. He was getting more frustrated with himself, deciding that alcohol was the solution even though the nagging voice in the back of his head told him otherwise. He quickly silenced it with a shot Brooklyn handed him.

"Whass this?"

"Irish Car Bomb," she shrugged and drank it quickly, the familiar burn making her gag after finishing it. "They're always gross." Rick drank it with no problem, his taste buds were apparently wasted too, unable to taste anything.

"Yummo." He gave her a sloppy, half-grin and she returned a weak smile. She knew what she was about to say probably wouldn't even register to him, but she was going to try anyway.

"Rick?" She braced herself for rejection as she looked up at him with her bright green eyes.

"Mmmm?" He leaned against the counter top, his heart lurching in his throat when she'd taken his hand and whispered his name.

"Can I tell you something?"

"A 'course." He immediately noticed the mix of sadness and fear in her eyes.

"I uhm... I think I love yo-" Before he knew what he was doing, or his brain was even able to process what she was saying he leaned in and cupped her face in his hands. Their lips met quickly and her intoxicating kiss almost sobered him up in an instant. They pulled apart and he noticed the now stunned look on her face.

"... sorry." He was glaring at the floor, cursing himself for kissing her while he was drunk, and while she had a boyfriend. He felt her hands wrap around his neck, her body pressed to his as she leaned on her tip-toes to kiss him again, this time they didn't break for air until their lungs were aching and desperate.

It suddenly clicked in his mind, she had said... she had said she _loved him_?

"Rick," her voice forced him to look her in the eyes, and she couldn't help but let out a little gasp, had his eyes always been so blue? "I really want to keep kissing you but it's not right. I have to go find Daryl," she whispered before taking off and leaving him confused, yet elated in the kitchen.

Brooklyn stormed down the hall, her drink and shot giving her a slight edge, not to mention Rick had not rejected her like she'd expected. She knocked rapidly on their bedroom door when she noticed it was closed but heard Daryl's voice behind it. She burst the door open and she could have sworn her jaw fell to the floor in shock.

"What the fuck?!"

* * *

Author's Note: WHEW. I tried to get this out as soon as possible because I had been literally thinking about this chapter all day. Thank you lovely reviewers: ReadWriteLove715, JadedTinks, and Gloria, every time I got an alert for I review I couldn't help but smile. Which trust me, after the last few horrible days definitely helped. Thank you!

**I hate to be a bother but could I ask anyone who is reading this for an opinion? I was going to make this story a few chapters pre-zombie apocalypse and then have it head into the apocalypse soon after, should I do that? Or should I just have it be an alternate universe story and see where we can take it? Please let me know, it doesn't even have to be a review, you can PM me if you like. I'm just really struggling to decide because both have many possibilities and I wouldn't mind writing either. Thanks guys, I really, really appreciate it!(:**


	4. Four

**FOUR.**

Brooke's mouth was slightly agape at the nauseating sight before her. Daryl and a girl she had known briefly as "Andrea" through his biker friends were half-naked snorting a line of cocaine on their dresser. His eyes shot up to meet hers, but they were wide as saucers and not really connecting with her face. She knew he was too strung out to comprehend that it was her, and she had just caught him cheating.

"Daryl..." she said slowly, pissed at him beyond belief but not wanting to startle him. He had only done the drug a handful of times in the past and he never once handled it well. The realization that he was doing a line made her instantly believe that his brother, Merle, was here somewhere in their apartment. She didn't know what she was more fuming about, her boyfriend doing drugs and sleeping with another woman, or his brother being back in her house after she had explicitly said he was forbidden.

"Brooke?" He stepped forward, his hands in front of his face and the room squeezing in on him. He tried to take a step back but nearly tripped over Andrea behind him. The blonde was struggling to get her clothes back on, she wasn't tripping as much as him due to the fact she had much more experience within the drug realm.

"I... I can't fucking believe this!" She slammed the door in his face like he had done to her the night before. She started to storm out before he could chase after her. She knew he would forget what had just happened and probably jump the girl's bones again.

"Well ain't tis a sight," Merle smirked at her, blocking her way down the hall. He was built with a large frame and she could not overpower him to get through. She rolled her eyes and suppressed all the words she wanted to scream at him. Daryl didn't get a hold of cocaine on his own, his brother had handed it over and convinced him it would be okay.

"Merle, get the hell out of my way."

He folded his arms over his broad chest, "make me."

"I don't have the time or patience for this." She whispered, trying to push past him unsuccessfully.

"Don't think so." He pinned her to the wall and laughed in her face. "Ya caught 'em?" She narrowed her eyes at his words. If he was responsible for hooking Daryl up with drugs _and _that Andrea chick she was probably going to punch him in the face; she was willing to risk him hurting her if she could just let her anger out on someone. "I take t'at as a yes?"

"You didn't." She leaned against the wall to try and avoid the weight he was pressing on her, but it didn't help much. He was too strong to escape.

"Maybe," he shrugged his shoulders casually. "What's it matter? I saw ya hookin' up wit Officer Friendly." She grimaced as he got in her face, the smell of stale cigarettes and whiskey heavy on his breath. She had a growing suspicion that he had done his own set of drugs before handing some off to his little brother.

"We _kissed," _Brooklyn huffed, "not hooked up. And I stopped before things got out of control. I figured I should break up with Daryl before doing anything to hurt him." Her eyes dropped to the floor, "I guess he didn't feel that he owed me that."

Merle's throaty laugh made her cringe, apparently this was all fun and games to him. Then again, it wasn't his heart that was broken at the sight of his little brother doing another girl.

"Nah, we're Dixon's. We don't give two shits 'bout _feelings_." He smirked, his grip tightening around her smaller arms. "Surprised 'e stuck wit ya as long as 'e did." She repeated her earlier action and rolled her eyes again, trying to shove him away. He stiffened at her shove, his hand slowly moving from her arm over to her chest.

"GET OFF!" She pleaded, squirming away from him. She knew Merle would do anything under the influence of a heavy mixture of drugs and alcohol.

"No," he growled huskily, his other hand dropping behind her. Before his drug-induced mind could do anything else he was knocked to the floor from a hard right hook.

"I believe the lady said no." Rick talked down to the ground as Merle shook his head at the surprise. Brooklyn quickly grabbed his hand, running out of the apartment and making sure to take him with her. She stood outside of the door, pressing her ear to it for any sign of being followed.

"Why'd you drag me out here?" He peered over at her as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried with everything in her to focus on the noises on the other side of the door. All she could hear was music and girls shouting 'shots' repeatedly.

"Because you can't fight Merle. You would not win." He looked to be taken aback at this. At first she thought he was insulted but his next question eased that fear.

"Whose Merle?" He looked on confused, he had never heard the name before.

"The guy you just punched." She backed away from the door when she knew he wasn't following them. Brooklyn figured he probably went to pop more pills. For a moment she considered explaining that Merle was Daryl's older brother was happened to be a terrible influence on him and rarely showed his face. Besides out of control parties anyway. She opted out and smiled up at Rick, "thanks..."

"For?" She slid down on the wall next to their door until she was in a sitting position. She looked up at him with another bright grin, tugging his hand to sit down next to her. He did so obediently, occupying the space beside her.

"For defending my honor," she beamed. None of her boyfriends had ever stood up for her before so she felt the gesture was extra romantic. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind for a second, he was just protecting her, why no one else decided to stop it was beyond him.

"I'd do a whole lot more than that for you." He admitted quietly to her before tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling. He didn't even get to catch the love-sick grin she wore, something he'd been wearing for years when she was around. "How long do we have to sit out here?"

"Give him a few more minutes," she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, causing him to smile again. "He has to drink more, or do another line, pill... whatever... so he can forget about it." Brooklyn's eyes started to shut, she hadn't realized she was so tired, too caught up in all the drama. "By the time we go back in he'll have forgotten," she yawned, "and you won't get your ass kicked."

"You don't think I would win?" He pouted, knowing full well she couldn't see him.

"Uh-uh." She shook her head slowly against his shoulder like a puppy nuzzled a human.

"Hey guys..." soft footsteps and a voice to match came down the hall. It was their neighbor and she looked badly bruised. They both suppressed a cringe at her black and blue eye; it had to have been her asshole husband. "I'm sorry to bother you but... is there anyway you guys could keep it down?" She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to stir up some warmth, "Sophia is trying to sleep and I-"

"CAROL! Get back here! Leave them the hell alone!" The door down the hall opened and a screaming Ed stood in the doorway. "You and the girl got cleaning to do!" He slammed the door shut and Rick would have sworn he felt the wall shake from it.

"Carol," Brooklyn whispered as her face fell and started to walk back to her apartment. "You going to be okay?"

"Of course dear, don't worry about me." She gave them a faint smile before going back into the dreary apartment.

"You should really do something about that." Brooke slid away from him, getting up to her feet and hovering near the door. He got up too and frowned.

"I've tried. She refuses to press charges or get a restraining order." He stood with her by the door, putting his hand on the handle but not turning it yet.

"Well you _know _that he does it, can't you just arrest him anyway?" She folded her arms under her chest, something he noticed she'd do when she was trying to prove a point. He sighed and turned the knob, holding the door open for her to walk through first.

"Brooklyn, I don't like it anymore than you, but there are politics around here. He's the brother of the mayor, and has pulled a lot of strings to stay out of trouble."

She shook her head not even wanting to get into that discussion again. They had a fight about it in the past, and after seeing everything with Daryl and almost being attacked by Merle she just didn't have it in her to fight.

As they re-entered the party they saw that it was in full swing. Brooklyn and Rick didn't know when more people had come in but it seemed that their apartment was filled way past maximum capacity. She was about to make a joke about the fire marshal shutting the place down when Daryl pulled her aside.

"Brooklyn," his voice and eyes seemed to be pleading with her to talk to him. She glanced over at Rick and gave him a quick nod to let him know she was okay; he didn't need to go into attack dog mode again. The thought made her smile for a brief moment, but when she turned back to a strung out Daryl, she instantly frowned. "Can... can we talk?"

"I guess," she sighed as he directed her to their bedroom. She stopped promptly in the doorway, not even being able to look at their bed without disgust. "We can talk here."

"That was... it was," his hands started to shake from the drugs coursing through his veins, "... she's nothing."

"I already know that." She snapped, backing away when he extended his arms. "You're high and you fucked another girl, in _our _bed, while I was right here!"

"I just..." he paused, his mind was going too fast and he couldn't think straight. "Merle..."

"I know that too." She huffed, glaring at him and hoping her stare would make him burst into flames. He stood there unaffected by her angry scowl. "I told you he wasn't allowed back here, he tried to..." she took a deep, steadying breath. "We're done, Daryl."

"But baby-"

"Oh, don't even start with that." She shoved him away when he got too close and she thought she might fall for his tricks all over again. Brooklyn ripped the blankets, pillows, and sheets off their mattress, rolling it into a giant ball. She threw it at him and he stumbled backwards, staring at it in confusion. "You're moving out. Take that dirty reminder and the slut with you."

* * *

Rick knocked gently on his door, it was his room so it wasn't necessary, but he knew Brooklyn had gone in there to be alone. He cracked it open and quickly shut it again so the loud people and music wouldn't leak through.

"You okay?" He gingerly walked over to her, sitting on the bed while she laid face down on her stomach. He could see from the jagged rising and falling of her back that she crying. "Brooklyn," his tone begged her to look at him. He couldn't stand to see her cry, all he knew was if Daryl physically hurt he was not against losing his job for a homicide.

She rolled over to face the wall away from him. He sighed and laid down on the bed too.

"Please look at me."

"No," she replied between choking sobs. "Go away."

"It's my room," he chuckled, inching closer to her.

"It's my a-apartment," she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"Touche," Rick's hand set delicately on her shoulder, gently forcing her to roll over. "Do you really wanna be alone? 'Cause if you do I'll leave."

She thought for a moment, sniffling to try and stop the tears. "No."

"Come here," he whispered, pulling her close to him. He hugged her tightly, rubbing the small of her back in comforting circles. He sighed and rested his head on hers, wishing he could make all of her pain go away. Daryl may have been a royal asshole to her, but he knew she had to have loved him. Why else would she have stuck around and put up with his crap for so long? He could only imagine how hurt she was that he had screwed another woman. Something he had found out not from her, but the Andrea girl he had done it with.

Rick was against hitting women, but he had to really restrain himself to not clock the blonde in the face... for Brooke's sake, if nothing else.

"I broke up with him," she finally mumbled into the fabric of his shirt. He pulled back slightly to look at her in awe.

"You did?" She nodded slowly and he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." He sighed and moved his hand up her back, gently caressing the nape of her neck. "I know it was really hard for you."

"On a normal day it would have been," she glanced up at him now, their eyes locking for a moment. "But after tonight..." Her words forced him to think back to the kiss that had sobered him up enough to drink a ton of water for a "real" sobering session. He still felt his head swimming with the alcohol, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been three hours prior.

Rick gave a quick peek at the clock, it was two in the morning and he couldn't imagine how exhausted she was, physically and mentally.

"You going back to your room?" He released his grip on her, "to sleep, I mean."

"I don't wanna," she whined, snuggling back into him. Rick happily slid onto his back so she could lay in the crook of his arm, her head resting peacefully on his chest. He didn't even protest to change into sweats like he wanted. He would sleep in jeans and an uncomfortable button down if she was going to stay with him.

"You can stay here," just as he spoke the words she sat up, hanging her legs off the edge of the bed. He frowned, anticipating her departure, but surprising him by taking her shirt off and throwing it to the floor. "Um," he found himself unable to stop staring as she stood up and slid her jeans off, leaving her more exposed than the night before in her sleepwear.

His throat when dry as his eyes took her whole body in, every inch of her soft skin glowing in the moonlight. What was happening anyway? His mind couldn't barely put the pieces together; by the time he had even registered her clothes hitting the floor he was leaning over her trailing slow kisses down her neck.

He didn't even remember how'd they'd gotten like this. He could barely recall taking his shirt off, but knew that he did when he felt her fingernails digging into his back. He bit her bottom lip softly as every action tried to show her how much he had longed for this without getting too carried away. Rick didn't want to hurt her, he wanted to show her that their were men out there that would take care of her and try to ease her pain instead of causing it.

She let out a small moan and he found himself unable to hold back, he was _definitely _going to take care of her and make her forget the world around them.

* * *

Author's Note: Woohoo! I'm hoping you guys like the quick updates. I normally don't have the time or inspiration to get them out this fast, but with this story I'm finding it a lot easier than usual. I decided what I'm going to do, I guess it's obvious since I changed the story description. Alternate Universe it is! Maybe further down the line we can turn it into an apocalypse story. We'll see about that. Thank you ReadWriteLove715 for always leaving wonderful reviews on both of my stories :)  
Also, thank you iheartteensoaps, Isnotamusedsir, and JadedTinks. I appreciate your opinions and just the fact that you were nice enough to leave a review ! ^.^


	5. Five

**FIVE.**

Rick woke up to the bright, sunny light streaming through the window. He quickly deduced that he must have forgotten to shut the curtains. The punishment for such a crime was a blinding light that pierced his eyes, another hangover taking control of his body. He ignored the dull throbbing headache and the uncomfortable uneasiness in his stomach because of the sight before him. Brooklyn lay intertwined with him, her legs looping through his, one arm tucked under his, the other laying neatly across his torso. She had fallen asleep the same way they had laid before Rick had accomplished one of his life goals- mainly, confessing and _proving _his love to her.

He planned on showing her his undying love in more than just a physical way, but it was a start at the very least.

He smiled as she stirred, lifting her head slightly from his chest with a sleepy smile.

"Hey," she whispered, her voice still hoarse from calling his name out so many times. She briefly wondered if anyone at the party had heard if she was screaming so loud that her throat hurt this morning. The thought quickly faded when he brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. Had she _ever _had a guy treat her so well the morning after? She knew the answer was no without even thinking about it.

"Mornin' gorgeous," he smirked and begrudgingly untangled himself from her. He stretched his arms and let out a loud yawn, as she copied the actions soon after. They took their time getting dressed, feeling like a lazy morning. And it was a beautifully lazy morning, until Brooke remembered she had to work. She glanced at the clock while trying to pull her jeans back up and stumbled to the ground, a loud _thud _in her wake.

"Shit!" She grumbled, scrambling to find her shirt on the floor.

"You okay?" Rick chuckled, heading over to her aid quickly. He handed her discarded shirt over with a smile. "What's wrong?"

"I have to work in like," she looked back up at his clock, already forgetting the time, "twenty minutes."

"Damn," he helped her to her feet and averted his eyes from her chest as she fought with the shirt to wiggle back into it. She didn't even plan on wearing these clothes to work but she had to go back to her room to change and had no idea how many party-goers crashed in her apartment last night.

They both creaked the door open slowly, not sure what they were expecting, but praying there weren't a bunch of sleeping bodies everywhere. Brooklyn let out a small sigh, relieved that there was no one in sight. In fact, the front door had just slammed with the last person leaving in a hurry. Although she was overjoyed she didn't have to deal with waking anybody up and kicking them out, she still was in awe over the mess she saw before her.

"What a nightmare!" She called back to Rick as she tried to make her way through the mess of discarded cups, plates, beer bottles, and a whole array of other garbage. There were spilt drinks everywhere and broken furniture to match the destruction. She rubbed her forehead when a little stabbing pain began to press against it, this was going to be hell to clean up later.

While she struggled to get into a new outfit, hair and make up done, and gather all her things, Rick took survey of the scene in the living room; it was ten times worse than the hallway. His phone buzzed on the countertop and he let out an anxious breath, he had forgotten he left it out here and was definitely pleased to see it hadn't been stolen.

"Brooke!" He shouted to the back of the apartment, pressing his phone to his ear to listen to the message that was left for him. He had noticed the time on his phone and decided to warn her, "you have eight minutes!"

He struggled to listen to the message, a smile on his face at first, but then it quickly fell to frown. His forehead creased as he listened to the message the whole way though, he let out a loud sigh. He ran his hand over his face, how could they have waited until _now _of all times to call him? He knew he wanted this more than anything but he couldn't even imagine Brooke's reaction. Brooke... damn, he couldn't do it. He put his phone in his back pocket, trying to push the thought away. He knew one thing for sure, he was going to have to think long and hard about this, and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell Brooklyn until he absolutely had to.

"I know!" She stormed out into the jumbled living room with a defeated huff, she had no desire to clean up the aftermath of Daryl's party. _Oh damn. _Her break up with Daryl and kicking him out had completely slipped her mind. She was too caught up with Rick to even be sad about it. She felt a little pang when she ran back in her room and all of his belongings were gone. He had listened to her after all.

"You need a ride?" Rick asked quietly from the bedroom door, he knew why she suddenly looked so sad. She was already feeling the depression of the break up, whether he was a jerk or not, three years was a lot of time with someone.

She nodded slowly, sucking in a deep breath to prevent the impeding tears. She was not going to cry over him now, she had done it too many times in the past. Rick gave her a warmhearted smile and a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder as she gave the empty bedroom one last glance.

"Come on," he started to walk her out of the room, trying to think of something to distract her from Daryl thoughts all day. "We'll get Starbucks on the way there."

Brooklyn couldn't help but smile now, Rick was so sweet and trying so hard to keep her from being upset. Why should she be sad about Daryl when she had someone so great by her side now? She couldn't figure out why, but she missed him. What it what that she missed, she couldn't be sure. The thoughts were immediately pushed away as Rick kissed her lightly on the lips, opening the door for her with his spine-tingling smile.

* * *

Rick spent the day cleaning the entire apartment top to bottom. Starting with Brooklyn's room, he went out to the store after dropping her off to buy a new bed-set. He returned later with a pink and black comforter set, her favorite colors. He figured she would no longer need to look at the empty bed with a frown and a heartbreaking reminder. He continued to clean the room up until it looked good as new, being sure that there was nothing lingering around that would even give her the chance to think of Daryl.

He worked hard on the living room and hallway, both trashed with garbage and drink spills. It took a little over two hours to get all the stains out and everything put back in its proper place, but it was well worth it. He knew Brooklyn would be relieved to come home after a horrible night and long work day to a clean house.

Rick sighed as he started to work on the bathroom, the stench being the worst of it all. At least the drunks had the decency to make it into the toilet or garbage can. He did some scrubbing and moved onto the kitchen. It took a pretty decent chunk of time to get all the shot glasses cleaned, all the alcohol put away, all the sticky spills cleaned, and the trash thrown away but in the end he was successful. The apartment looked better than it ever had.

After all the cleaning was said and done an idea popped into his head. He snatched his keys off the counter and ran out the door, he only had an hour until Brooklyn was done with work and he wanted to surprise her with something great. It took twenty minutes to buy all the food and get it prepared, but there was one last thing he needed to get and that would surely take a little longer...

* * *

Rick gingerly opened the door, letting Brooklyn go ahead of him. The first thing she noticed was that the apartment was _spotless_. She grinned back at him.

"You cleaned?" She couldn't help but squeeze him in a tight hug, she hated cleaning and was doing nothing but dreading the mess all day at work. He hugged her back, giving her a kiss on the neck, which made her bit her lip to keep back a moan.

"There's something else for you." He whispered in her ear, making a chill run through her body. The excitement was coursing through her veins at his words, she briskly made her way into the apartment spotting a trail of rose pedals on the floor. She giggled and shook her head at him, he truly was the epitome of romantic. Brooke took slow steps into her bedroom where the bed was drenched in pink and white rose pedals and the room was surrounded in lit candles. She rolled her eyes but could not suppress the beaming grin she wore. She couldn't recall the last time a guy had done anything cute for her. This definitely qualified as cute.

"I love it," she said breathlessly, spinning quickly to wrap her arms around his neck. They kissed for a brief second before pulling apart.

"You sure it's not too cliché?" Rick's eyes were filled with concern, all he wanted was for her to be happy; and maybe see _how much_ he wanted that.

"No," she shook her head slowly and she started to take delicate steps backwards, pulling him with her. They shared another long, passionate kiss that he only disconnected to start peppering them along her collarbone. She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her off her feet and set her on the edge of the bed. She ran her hand along the new comforter with a small smirk. "You got this too?"

"Mhm," he nodded going back to kissing every inch of her body. Rick couldn't remember the last time he'd wanted to touch someone so often. Her soft, slightly tanned, skin was always calling his name and now he finally allowed access.

He smirked when he elicited a moan from her, it only took one night together to find her hot spots- her neck was definitely a target. Everything was moving too fast, she was getting restless, he was getting too excited, he had something else for her and if they kept this up he would never get to it. Rick knew for a fact if he could just lay around with Brooklyn all day he surely would, the idea was tempting, but he forced himself away.

"I cooked dinner too." He stood up causing her to whine at the lost contact. He ran his tongue over his lips, trying to look away from her pouty face. She sat up though with one eyebrow raised, she was impressed by this.

"You're showering me with gifts, cleaning, _and _cooking?" Brooke laughed and stood up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Right here," he reminded her with a wink. She felt the air escape her lungs for a minute, she wasn't sure she would ever get used to his flirting. Those dreamy smiles, winks, his touch, everything just made her melt.

He lead her out to the kitchen and started to prepare their plates, he had made her favorite. Brooklyn smiled and sniffed the air.

"It smells awesome."

He chuckled as he pulled the food from the oven, "it is awesome."

Rick stopped for a second, putting the plates down on the counter and walking over to Brooklyn. She was busy texting someone on her phone, probably Kyra or her cousin, Beth would be coming over soon- oh damn.

"We can eat in a little bit," he whispered huskily, taking her phone and setting it on the counter.

"What-" He didn't give her a chance to answer, instead, he picked her up bridal style and carried her to the room. He set her on the bed gently and a devious grin took over. "Oh, now we're allowed?" She replied sarcastically, referring to minutes earlier when she desperately wanted to relive the night before but he stopped them.

"Yes," he took his shirt off and couldn't help but lean down to give her another kiss. He couldn't bare to not touch her when she looked so beautiful and was just sitting there waiting for _him_.

"Why now?" She smirked up at him, she could definitely tell he was frustrated that she was so willing to go before and now was all about chatting.

"Because your cousin is coming," he reminded her, "for the entire week."

"So?" She rose her eyebrows, awaiting an explanation.

"That means she'll be here... the entire week..." he gave her a second to put the pieces together. If her cousin was going to be here for seven whole days, that would mean she couldn't get intimate with him. The thought crushed her for a moment, could she last a week without sex from her new god-like boyfriend?

Her mind momentarily drifted to the night before, she never had such an amazing experience, never been treated so well. She had never even had an orgasm before, but now that she knew this wonderful man before her could do those things...

"Take your clothes off!" She shouted, stripping her own off in the process.

**KNOCK. KNOCK.**

"BROOKLYN! I'M HERE!" Beth's sing-song voice flowed through the apartment.

They exchanged a defeated look before Brooke frowned. Rick cupped her face in his hand, a small smile gracing his lips before he kissed hers.

"It's going to be a long week."

* * *

Author's Note: Dearest ReadWriteLove715, Gloria, and JadedTinks, thank you for the reviews! I do have an idea how to keep this story AU and eventually have a ZA thing going, but you will just have to wait and see what I mean by that. And as for Carol/Ed, since they're the neighbors, we'll see more of them, and Carol will not be forever trapped by that jerk -_- Just thought I'd put that out there. Something else I wanted to say was, I'm sure by now you can see that a lot of the characters are not related the same way that they are in the show. Rick and Lori never had Carl, Hershel is her boss, Beth is her cousin, and don't you worry your pretty little heads there will be MORE characters in the future.  
This was kinda fluffy overload, hope you liked it though! :D & Thanks for the support so far!(:


	6. Six

**SIX.**

Three days after Beth's arrival, Brooklyn walked into her apartment to what she could only describe as utter chaos. There was furniture moved all around with a 'fort' built in the middle of the living room. There were drawings scattered all over the floor, some even taped up onto the walls. The closest one she could read was "No boys allowed... Rick okay". She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, Beth was much too old for any of this, and she didn't recognize the child like handwriting. She crept over to the tent and poked her head in, a small smile on her face.

"Hello Sophia."

"Hi Brooklyn," she waved shyly, quickly averting her eyes back to the drawing. Rick smiled up at her and exited the tent, struggling to get through the little door. Brooke couldn't help but laugh at this, causing him to give her a little scowl; that immediately transformed when they were face to face.

"Hi," he grinned at her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She stood back and rose a skeptical eyebrow.

"Hi," she parroted, nodding her head down to the tent. She loved kids, she really did, but she had a stressful day at work and was not prepared to come home to any of this. "Why's Sophia here?"

"Uhm," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, he obviously didn't want to discuss the matter with the small girl in earshot. He gently tugged on her hand to take her into his bedroom. Rick shut the door quietly before turning back to her with a beaming grin he couldn't contain.

"Ed's in jail."

"_What_?" She felt her jaw drop at his words.

"It gets better," she sat down on the bed, relief flooding over her. She knew both Sophia and Carol would be safe if he was behind bars. She nodded a little to show he could continue, "Carol filed for divorce. I put in a restraining order today, though I don't think they'll even need it... he'll probably be getting life-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Brooke held her hands up to signal that she needed a complete rewind of this. One minute she was giving a dog a flea bath, the next thing she knew her neighbor was in jail - for life? She hated Ed with a burning passion, but what could he have done that warranted that? And how would all of this affect the little girl out in her living room? "Back up, what the hell did he do?"

"He uh," he stopped, briefly considering how to word his next sentence, "he killed someone."

"Excuse me?" She blinked at him stupidly.

"He got in an out of control bar fight and the victim ended up succumbing to his injuries."

"You don't need to use police talk on me, Rick." Brooke stood up, pacing the floor. "Does Sophia know?"

"Know what?" He folded his arms over his chest, watching her pace the room.

"That her father and mother are splitting? Which is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but what about the fact that he _murdered _someone. Does she know that?" Brooke's eyes widened in fear, she could only imagine how Sophia would take all of this. "Jesus, Rick she's ten." He held his hands up for her to calm down.

"She doesn't know yet. She knows Ed's gone for a long time," he shrugged his shoulders, "she was happy about that."

"Obviously," she sighed and shook her head. Brooke couldn't even imagine all the horrible things the ten-year-old had probably dealt with or had to witness. "Carol's okay?"

"She's fine, down at the station finishing the paper work. That's why Sophia's here. I offered to watch her." He stepped up to her and put both hands on her shoulders. "Carol will be back later to get her. They'll be fine now, you don't have to worry anymore."

"Thank you," she finally found words again after the long, tense silence.

"For what?"

"For filing the restraining order. I know you said you were afraid to because of his brother-"

"When I found this out, it didn't matter anymore." He gave her a half-smile. "I don't think even the mayor can get him out of this."

She put her hand to her heart, so happy that her neighbors could finally live in peace and not constant fear of that tyrant Ed.

Rick and Brooke found themselves back out in the living room where Sophia was busying herself with the TV. She had sat down and started watching Spongebob Squarepants and giggling non stop at the quirky sponge.

"Where's Beth?" Brooklyn glanced around the room, finally noticing the lack of her cousin.

"Said she had to run to the pharmacy down the road," he pointed back to the door before continuing to make dinner for everyone. She sat down on the bar stool on the other side of the counter, looking over at him with dreamy eyes. He smirked when he noticed her staring, "you okay?"

"Fine." She titled her head to the side to really take in her best friend turned lover. "I never asked you about the beard."

"What?" Rick chuckled, throwing some chicken onto the skillet.

"Your beard. You never had one before, our entire lives," she reminisced, smiling when she remembered the first time he'd shaved it and he called her over to his house in a panic. There was just a little blood, but he was freaking out like it was some sort of massacre. Brooke had almost forgotten how much they'd gone through together, how they _truly _grew up together; knowing the in's and out's of one another.

"I always shaved it."

"I know. So why'd you stop?" She perked up on the stool, leaning over the counter.

"I don't know..." he shrugged, hoping she wouldn't read the answer all over his face. He knew he was transparent and that she probably knew he'd done it due to the fact that she always gushed about men with beards. Rick had a feeling she _knew _why, but just wanted to hear it.

"Hmmm... okay..." she glanced up when his phone went off. He picked it up and scrolled through the text quickly.

"I'm gonna take Sophia outside, Carol's waiting to take her for ice cream." Brooklyn's smile faltered, Carol was going to break the bad news to the innocent child who would probably be confused beyond belief.

"Okay," she nodded slowly, peeking back at the little girl who was happily glued to the TV. She knew the smile would be faded soon, making her frown deepen.

"She'll be okay Brooklyn," he patted her should softly before taking Sophia outside to her waiting mother.

Brooke tried to get her mind off the heart wrenching thoughts, getting up and pacing the floor. She couldn't help the curiously that flooded her when she heard his phone ring again. She glanced at it, not recognizing the number. It went to voice-mail, signaling that there was a message left. She knew it was wrong, such an invasion of privacy, but she couldn't stop her hands from doing their own thing.

She squinted as she read the same number pop up all through his missed calls list, over and over for the past few days. Brooke's heart hammered in her chest, if this person was in contact with Rick all the time, why didn't he have the number saved? She was tempted to call it, or listen to the voice-mail but opted to sigh and put the phone back. Was it another girl? She couldn't help the sinking feeling that it was, in fact, another woman he was talking to behind her back. Brooklyn couldn't really help the thoughts, after all the horrible boyfriends she'd had, it was just hardwired in her to believe every man was a cheater. From all the ex's, to Daryl, she was just emotionally damaged. But Rick was different, right?

She wouldn't call them, or even ask him about it, she'd simply do her own investigating. While Rick was still outside she pulled her own phone out and googled the phone number. She let out a long sigh of relief when the Los Angeles Police Department popped up repeatedly. It was probably just a work thing. She shook her head at the silliness of her thoughts, Rick was _not _the cheater type.

Like clock work he came back into the apartment, grinning at her as he resumed his spot in the kitchen. He continued to cook the food while Brooklyn sat back down in the seat, unable to contain the relieved smile on her face.

"You seem happy," he commented aloud, turning the heat down on the stove.

"I am." She smirked at him, "I'm happy that you're so great."

"I could say the same for you." Brooke felt a little pang of guilt for not trusting him in the first place, the man that's always treated her with nothing but respect and love. She wanted to tell him about going through the phone, but she decided against it, she didn't want them to fight already. She wasn't even sure Rick would be mad, but she didn't want to risk it. Things were too perfect to ruin so soon.

"Where'd you learn to cook, anyway?" He frowned at her question, thinking about the answer carefully. He didn't want to revisit that place, but would for her.

"Lori never cooked. She was rarely even home, actually." He stirred the green beans in the pot, "I did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry." He chuckled, "I was pretty much the housewife."

"You make an excellent housewife." She giggled at the image of him in an apron. He waved the spoon at her while a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You'd make a great trophy husband."

She leaned over the counter the entire way, stealing one of the french fries that were cooling. She popped on in her mouth with a grin.

"Is that a proposition. You work and I just stand around looking pretty?" They both shared a laugh until the slamming of the front door stopped them abruptly.

They both turned around, watching Beth run into the room, sobbing as she ran. Rick looked at Brooke with concern.

"You gonna go talk to her?"

"Yeah," she slid off the chair, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. What could have gone wrong on a simple trip to the pharmacy? Brooklyn knocked gently on Rick's room door. While Beth was staying with them, both the adults stayed in her room, leaving her cousin to stay in his room.

Brooklyn had hoped to keep this arrangement even after Beth left, but she didn't really have time to think about that when the little blonde's voice came through.

"Go away!" She shouted, her face smothered against a pillow.

"Beth?" Brooke felt her pain, she didn't know why she was hurting, but it made her sad that her little cousin was upset. She let the door open with a slow creak, shutting it with the same slow speed.

"Please, go away," she mumbled, her fists grasping at the sheets in anger and utter despair.

"No," she sat on the bed, stroking the blonde hair with a sigh. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I... I can't," she said between sobs. She started to choke on the tears, making Brooke worry even more.

"Please?" She waited a minute until Beth sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She was still frowning and her eyes were still glossy. The younger girl nodded her head slowly, tugging at her shirt nervously.

"You can't tell my mom." She whispered, eyes averting Brooke's. "She'll kick me out..."

"I won't," she crossed her heart with a small smile, making the corner of Beth's lip twitch into a miniature smile of her own. "Plus you can move here if she would do that, which I doubt she will." Beth's forced smile quickly faded when her hand fell to her stomach. Brooklyn gasped as her eyes went wide.

_No. Damn. Way._

"Beth," she inhaled deeply, unsure if she could take the next words with stride like she knew the teenager needed.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

Author's Note: Uh ohhh. What's going on with Rick's phone calls from LA? And what will happen with little Beth being pregnant? Hehe, I guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter. That's pretty evil, sorry. I hope you liked it though! Just a side note, I got a PM stating, not very nicely, that I wasn't putting as much effort into this story as my other one. I would just like to say that I promise you I am. I had always envisioned this story to be written in a different style and with shorter chapters. I'm sorry if that's not appealing to some of you :(  
Thank you again ReadWriteLove715! :D And also Gloria, I'm so glad to hear that, it just makes me want to keep writing this!


	7. Seven

**SEVEN.**

"Whose the father?" Brooklyn tried to contain herself, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles were white and Beth was sure the bones would soon rip through.

"Nobody..." she faintly whispered, looking out the window to avoid her cousins piercing glare. The brunette turned her face forward to take steadying breathes as the blonde lied straight to her face.

"Is it that Jimmy kid?"

"No." Beth answered simply, growing more scared by the second. She was sure her secret would soon be found out; and if it were, heads would roll.

"Then who?" Beth went to open her door but Brooklyn leaned over and shut it to stop her. "Until you tell me, we're not leaving the car." She shut the ignition off and played with the keys as they dangled in front of her. She pursed her lips and looked back to the terrified teenager. "I don't want to have to tell your mom, but you're not really giving me much choice-"

"Please don't tell her!" Beth began to cry, tears pouring down her cheeks as her face flushed red. She was truly scared. "Just... just let me go in. Let me see if it's true." She opened the door and started to slide out. "Then I'll tell you."

"Fine," Brooke shook her head and let her cousin leave the car. Before the door shut she called to her, "I have to go get my cell back at the house. I'll be back in twenty minutes. Don't go anywhere if you get done before I'm back." Beth nodded solemnly and adjusted the messenger bag over her shoulder. Brooke watched as she walked inside with slow, nervous steps.

* * *

Brooklyn struggled with the lock to the door, jiggling the keys in the lock over and over until she broke down in tears. The stupid thing was always getting jammed and this was the last thing she needed. Her baby cousin, just seventeen years old was pregnant. She didn't even know who the father was for crying out loud! Brooke had a bad feeling gnawing in the pit of stomach about that question though.

After finally managing to pull herself back together and getting the door open she clambered inside. She snatched her phone off the counter and slipped it in her back pocket. She noticed Rick had gotten the mail and she began to go through it to help clear her mind. She found a gold letter with sparkling silver script on the front: _Miss Brooklyn Tyler & Guest. _

She smiled and carefully ripped the envelope open, smiling even wider as she read the headline. Her friends that had recently moved to a few towns over, Woodbury she suddenly remembered, were getting married.

_You are cordially invited the union of Maggie Greene and Glenn Rhee. _She glanced down at the date and chuckled to herself. Maggie was always extravagant so it was no surprise that she was having her wedding on New Year's Eve. If Brooklyn was correct about the address of the reception, she was rather sure it was a very popular, _expensive_, ballroom. She couldn't wait to tell Rick, since he would be her plus one, and plan a get-together for him to meet her old friends.

Her phone buzzed loudly and she instantly pulled herself from the thoughts, she had forgotten she needed to get back to Beth. She pulled the phone back out and furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn't her phone that had went off after all. She glanced around the room curiously and saw Rick's phone sitting neatly in the middle of the coffee table in the living room. She ran over and peered at the number with a frown. It was the same number that had called for days, maybe even weeks at this point. Brooklyn didn't even give herself time to mentally debate it anymore, she picked up the phone and clicked answer, bringing the it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Rickmister! You excited about the big gig?" An unfamiliar voice rang through her ear uncomfortably. Apparently the stranger wasn't aware there was no need to yell into a cell phone. She huffed and shook her head, even though they couldn't see the action.

"This isn't Rick. Who is this?"

"Oh..." the man paused and then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "You're the girl then? Brooklyn? The one he's been telling me about."

"Excuse me?" Brooke's head spun as the conversation progressed. Sure, she was excited he was telling people about them, that made it all real then, right? But who was this stranger? And why has he been harassing Rick's phone?

"You must be so proud of him." She could practically hear him smiling through the phone. When she didn't answer he took the pause as a reason to continue. "For the promotion?"

_"Promotion?"_

* * *

"So?" Brooklyn started the car back up, waiting until Beth was buckled to pull away from the doctor's office. She frowned when the blonde didn't say anything; it was obvious that she truly was pregnant. Brooke took the silence as her cousin bracing herself to spill the beans of who the father was. But the name never came.

"It- it's true." She finally stuttered out, staring out the window blankly. "I'm going to have a kid." The tears from earlier returned, streaming down her face again and making new patterns on her flushed cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and Brooklyn felt her anger melt away, replaced with sympathy. She reached over and rubbed her little cousin's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yes." Brooke paused, glancing over at her, then back at the road. "But everything will work out. Everything will be fine."

"I guess." She whispered, rubbing her flat stomach with a prominent frown. "Can I live with you?" Beth looked over with pleading eyes. "Me and the baby I mean."

"Beth, I-" Brooklyn sighed, could she take on the extra responsibility? Especially after just starting a brand new relationship of her own.

"It's okay. Momma will kick me out though. I'll have to live with the daddy." She sighed and tried to wipe the streaks away that had formed from the dried tears. "He won't take me though..."

"Who is it Beth? Just tell me. I promise I won't be mad."

"You won't?" She asked hopefully, clutching onto her bag because she was still scared to admit the truth, feeling responsible for the whole ordeal.

"No." Brooke shook her head and didn't make eye contact with Beth since she knew she was lying. If she knew the person- she didn't even want to think what she would do to them.

"It was... Merle."

The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of a crowded intersection, horns blaring around them as Brooklyn's vision and hearing temporarily left her.

* * *

Rick watched as both Brooklyn and Beth came into the apartment, both in tears, but Beth looking far worse off then his girlfriend.

"Go into guest room, we'll talk later." She commanded the teenager with gritted teeth. She couldn't even look her in the eyes, something Rick found strange since they seemed to have a great relationship. Beth nodded dumbly and ran to the room, her sobbing becoming louder as she went. Rick sighed and walked over to Brooklyn, wrapping his hands around her shoulders to try and massage them. He figured she needed something nice after what was apparently a horrible day.

"What happened?" He asked calmly, not wanting to upset her further.

"She's pregnant alright." Brooke writhed out of his hands, not turning to face him either. He was starting to think there was more than Bethy's problems bothering her.

"Well, I'm sure everything will work out."

"It's Merle's." Now she was facing him, with rage, terror, and heartbreak all mixed into her green eyes. Rick felt his jaw drop in shock. Daryl's drug addicted, _much older_, brother was little Beth's baby daddy? He suddenly understood her foul mood.

"You're kidding," was the only thing he found himself able to say at the shocking news. He knew Brooklyn was probably ready to hunt him down and chop his head off so he went over to her, squeezing her into a hug. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head gently. "We'll get through this... all of us."

"You'll help?" She whispered, her face pressed against his chest as she tried her best to stop her heart from beating out of her chest.

"As much as I can." He released her from the hug and held her out at arm's length with a small smile. "Anything you guys need, I'll do it. You just have to promise me something?"

"What?" She looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering as she felt her own waterworks about to start.

"You can't kill Merle," he chuckled and kissed her forehead. She giggled with him, feeling the tears subside. He wiped under her eyes with his thumbs to brush away any of the strays. "I'll take care of him."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet. But I'll figure something out." He let go of her, watching her take steadying breathes. "I promise."

She nodded slowly, she almost couldn't believe he was so perfect; and _hers. _His phone went off and broke her focus, making her remember the conversation she had earlier with the mystery caller. Oh yeah, maybe Rick wasn't as perfect as she was always convinced. He went to answer it but she placed her hand on top of it to stop him.

"It's the number again," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he watched her face fall. She looked heartbroken and he wasn't sure why.

"They called earlier, and I answered." Brooklyn looked up at him with her piercing orbs, the ones she usually looked at him lovingly with. Not now though, now they were looking at him with skepticism and betrayal. "You're getting promoted? Why didn't you tell me? Why'd you keep it a secret?" She took a deep breath, not even letting him answer when she jumped into another set of questions. "What else are keeping from me?"

"Whoa, Brooklyn, take a breather." He took his hand away from the phone, taking her hands in his to stop her from slapping him like he was expecting. "I wasn't keeping it a secret. I was trying to decide if I wanted to take the job."

"What? Why? You'll be the chief of police, that's _amazing._" She couldn't believe he would even be debating taking the position. It was the most coveted, and the one he's wanted since they were teenagers and he first decided he wanted to be an officer.

"Yeah, it's amazing, but it comes with a price."

"A hell of a pay raise." He couldn't help but break into a small grin at her words. She shook his shoulders lightly, a smile of her own forming. "Sure you'll have more demanding hours, but I can visit you. And... and you can move in?"

"Move in?" He asked, almost getting side tracked from the root of the problem with the new job. He wanted so badly to talk about moving in with Brooklyn, something he'd wanted for as long as he could remember; but he had to stay on task. She needed to know what was going to happen now that he taken the job.

"Yes and-"

"Brooklyn, look." He cut her off, sighing and shaking his head. "I'll have to go to training all over again... and it's not at our academy."

"So what? Woodbury's? The state's?" A small frown tugged at her lips, if he had to go to the state's it would two hours away, but she could still visit every other weekend. It wouldn't be so bad.

"No." He answered simply. "They want me to go to the best in the country, and it's extended."

"Extended? Not three months?" She felt her voice go hoarse, what if he was gone for four or five months? They were just starting out as a couple, and with Beth pregnant, and possibly staying there, how would she cope without the help?

"Six months." Her heart dropped, or jumped up into her throat, she couldn't really tell. "And it's not in Georgia."

"Florida?" She whispered, desperately hoping that it was within driving distance. He gravely shook his head.

"I... I decided to take it." He kissed her lips gently and forced himself to just break the news. "It's in California. I'm going to LA for six months... I'm sorry."

* * *

Author's Note: Whew, sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I've been having health problems, and just generally busy. I got sucked into working on my other story in my free time and I'm sorry for that. Thanks to Violet Lylyabelle, whose reviews got me jump started back into the story! And thank you to those who reviewed chapter six: Gloria, Isnotamusedsir, ReadWriteLove715, Dr. BadAss Is In, and Violet Lylabelle. You guys all rock. ;) Hope the chapter was enjoyed!  
Love you all, xoxo~


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